replete with games, movies, books, and other guilty pleasures.
A Brief History of Time
I found the 1988 first edition of A Brief History of Time at a used book shop while on holiday, and spent some days on the beach absorbed in it. Although the concepts in the book have been around for years now, it was interesting to read Hawking’s take on the history of science and human thought. He lost me a bit when he started to get int . . .
Helvetica
A fascinatingly watchable documentary, and a must-see for anyone interested in typography or graphic design.
4 and a half stars (out of 5)
Charlie Wilson’s War
The self-congratulatory American-as-apple-pie feel of this film felt irritatingly disingenuous. Hanks and Roberts play caricatures, while Hoffman seems to burst on stage into a completely different film; I’m not sure if that is a strike for or against him… but I think I might have rather seen the film Hoffman thought . . .
King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
A surprisingly entertaining documentary considering the subject matter. Later investigation reveals that maybe the producers fudged the truth a bit, but it’s hard to argue when their version of the story is so much more fun to watch. It’s less about video games and high scores than it is about being an outsider who is try . . .
On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore
This history of Commodore is so much more fascinating than you might think; the personalities, clashes, and little-known facts kept me turning the pages. As a Commodore fan, I always wondered, “what went wrong?” — and this book answers that, revealing the internal politics and decision making of one of the true p . . .